Even as it absorbs its lumps and lays off employees from the slump in home lending, the $419 million Air Academy Federal Credit Union of Colorado Springs, Colo., made clear last week it is on a mission to emphasize online and electronic tools.

There may be only four or five corporate credit unions within 10 years. There isn’t that much business out there. "The small won’t survive,” predicted John Fiore, CEO of Motorola Employees Credit Union and a key figure in the recapitalizing of Members United as Alloya. “Within a couple years we...

What a difference 10 months makes. That’s a prevailing thought in corporate credit union circles as executives digest the reports, unconfirmed by the NCUA, that two of the leading bidders for the failed Western Bridge corporate are Alloya (formerly Members United) and Catalyst (formerly Southwest Bridge plus Georgia Corporate). This...

Cybercrime and malware are the top online fraud threats financial institutions face today, and they’ll continue to top the list of threats over the next two to three years, according to a new report from research firm Aite Group.

Adoption of commercial remote-deposit capture, which refers to business customer-specific RDC solutions, grew by just 10% in 2011 while mobile RDC has become a priority for U.S. financial institutions and vendors, said a new Celent report, “State of Remote Deposit Capture 2011: Signs of a Maturing Market.”

Short-term loans are in demand. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, payday lender and pawn shop share prices jumped in October. Some credit unions are taking this opportunity to provide similar products, but at a lower cost and with a different philosophy in mind. While payday lenders encourage...

Editor-in-Chief's Column

For possibly the first time, credit unions last week testified before a joint subcommittee hearing on the Communities First Act, legislation that was drafted by a former community banker primarily to benefit community banks. Kudos to the trades for getting the invites; that’s a first step toward gaining greater recognition...

Despite the euphoria, a top researcher for J.D. Power & Associates warned credit unions last week against “popping the champagne corks too early” in expecting sustainable gains from Bank Transfer Day. That’s because their data continue to show real consumer intransigence about moving accounts.

Focus Report

While credit insurance and debt protection have been long-time staples for credit unions as part of their loan add-on product suites, some experts noticed that they are becoming more of a priority as the industry continues to seek new noninterest income streams.

We never forget defining moments in history and where we were when they were defined. That certainly is true of the financial crisis that rocked our country’s financial system, businesses and our overall economy in 2008. Like other industries, credit unions strongly felt the impact of the lack of demand...